


Unorthodox Matchmaking

by Spoodlemonkey



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Co-Parents, First Kiss, Fluff, Jealousy, Josh meddles, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24720331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spoodlemonkey/pseuds/Spoodlemonkey
Summary: “Sweet, a firefighter, and he can cook? Sounds like you got lucky there.”“It’s not, uh, like that.”  Eddie flushes, his mouth suddenly dry. He reaches for his soda but finds it empty. “We’re just friends.”
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 586





	Unorthodox Matchmaking

**Author's Note:**

> So, my family and I recently marathoned through all three seasons and I've fallen so in love with the 118 that I don't think I'll ever recover. This is my first foray into the fandom, so apologies if they're OOC. Set in some vague not to distant future. Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Stay safe <3

Eddie’s been trying to get a hold of Buck all night, but it’s like every time he manages to track the younger man down, he’s just slipping away. They’re out at Athena and Bobby’s for a BBQ, the house packed full of families and friends drunk off good food and good wine. The kids are packed in around the flat screen tv, taking turns battling it out over Xbox. Eddie’s checked in on Christopher a couple of times since they set up the game, the usual paranoia sneaking up on him even after all these years, but he’s pleased to see the other kids treating Chris like a friend, like family. And okay, maybe he’s preening a little over how Christopher’s kicked  _ all _ their asses. 

So, with Christopher happy and looked after, he’s eager to spend some time with Buck. It’s been a  _ long _ week and with the two shifts he picked up to help cover for the flu bug tearing through the other shift, he hasn’t had much time outside of work to  _ breathe _ let alone spend time with his best friend. He misses him. A lot. It’s hard to go from living out of one anothers pockets to seeing him once or twice for work. It’s the first chance he’s had to catch up with him properly and he can’t seem to keep up with him. 

Eddie ducks out into the garden where they’ve got a small fire going, string lights strung up and casting an intimate atmosphere over everything. It’s gotten a little cooler out- as cool as California ever gets- and he shivers in his short sleeves. It looks like most people have moved inside, a few stragglers cuddled up close to the fire. Hen and Denny have marshmallows on long sticks, toasting them carefully. They get inspected, then put back in when they’re found not up to Denny’s meticulous standards. 

There’s no sign of Buck. 

He could have  _ swore _ he saw him duck out there ten minutes before, but he’d gotten caught up in a conversation with Athena, and then had popped in to see Chris and he’d apparently missed him again.

“Looking for someone?” 

He startles, surprised he didn’t notice Josh sitting at the patio set, a glass of wine in hand. There’s a small plate of cookies on the table next to him- the ones Christopher had spent the better part of yesterday afternoon making with his Abuela as a present for the happy couple. 

“Yeah actually,” Eddie comes closer. “You haven’t seen Buck have you?”

“About ten minutes ago. I think he went back in with Maddy when she ditched me for cake.” He cracks a grin, offering the plate of cookies to Eddie. “Want one? I had to stop myself from just stealing the entire tray.”

“My son made them,” Eddie admits pride flushing through him. He sinks down into the chair across from Josh. If Buck is with Maddy he’s not going to interrupt them just because he hasn’t had enough  _ Buck time. _ He steals one of the sugar cookies, washing it down with the remnants of his soda. 

“Your son is clearly a genius in the kitchen. He take after his dad?”

“Definitely not,” he laughs. “He must have gotten it from his abuela or tia because he sure as hell didn’t get it from his parents.”

“I’m not any good in the kitchen either,” Josh admits. “I love it when Maddy takes pity on me and invites me over for dinner- the lessons helped. That girl can  _ cook.” _

“So can Buck, but I think we have Bobby to thank for that.”

“Does Buck cook for you a lot?” Josh asks with a sly smile. Eddie shifts in his seat, thrown by the tone. He shrugs.

“Uh, yeah, he spends a lot of time with Christopher, so he’s over for dinner a lot. He said I’d give them all food poisoning if he  _ allowed _ me to keep cooking them dinner.”

“Damn,” Josh whistles in appreciation. “Sweet, a firefighter,  _ and _ he can cook? Sounds like you got lucky there.” 

“It’s not, uh, like  _ that.” _ Eddie flushes, his mouth suddenly dry. He reaches for his soda but finds it empty. “We’re just friends.”

“Oh,” Josh looks surprised. “Sorry, I just thought, since Buck had stopped referring to himself as a  _ solo,” _

“A what?”

“A solo- you know, like, single. Solo.” Josh laughs at Eddie’s look. “I know, it sounds a little lame.”

“So you and Buck are solo’s.” He sounds it out, mouth twisting in distaste. He doesn’t know if it’s over the word itself or the connotations of it being Buck. 

“Well, we  _ were,” _ Josh reaches for another cookie. It’s covered in bright red icing- he’s pretty sure it was meant to be a firefighter. “But he stopped calling himself solo and it’s kind of depressing being the only one to say it. I figured it was because you two had finally worked things out.”

Eddie...has no idea what to say to that. He’s hung out with Josh a handful of times- how  _ obvious _ has he been that a guy he barely knows can see right through him? He takes a moment out of his panic to appreciate that Buck has been oblivious since day one to how Eddie feels about him. It’s not that he thinks Buck would want him out of his life, or react poorly. He’d let him down  _ easy _ to spare Eddie’s feelings. 

That’s just the sweet kind of guy he went and fell for. 

“You alright?” Josh is gazing at him, expression pinched with concern. 

“Yeah, fine.” Eddie lies.

“Listen, I’m sorry if I overstepped.” Eddie waves him off.

“No, it’s my fault,” he says. Josh gives him a disbelieving look. “There are some things I can hide- rage, grief- but I’ve uh, never been very good at hiding when I’m,”  _ in love, _ he doesn’t say but he can tell by the dawning realisation on his face that Josh understands. He flushes with embarrassment. He can’t believe he’s basically baring his soul to a guy who’s  _ last name _ he doesn’t even know. “Sorry, I don’t know why I told you that.”

“You’d be amazed what people tell me. Must be the voice,” Josh teases and Eddie relaxes a little, sinking back into his chair. 

“Remind me  _ not _ to keep secrets from Maddy.”

“She is a  _ menace _ to play poker with,” Josh confides with a grin. “An absolute card shark, I swear.” 

Eddie huffs out a laugh, unsurprised, considering some of the stories Buck has regaled him with. He’d thought at the time that they might be exaggerations, but now he’s not so sure.

“Can I ask you something?” Josh asks abruptly. Eddie shrugs, nodding. “Why haven’t you made a move?” 

He glances around, worried about someone overhearing, but it’s only Hen and Denny and they’re not paying them any mind. It’s not that he doesn’t trust his family- it’s that  _ this _ is something he’d hoped to keep close to his chest, shoved deep down basically forever. 

“You totally don’t have to answer.” Josh takes pity on him, but it feels good, talking to someone. Someone who  _ knows _ Buck and the 118 and their lives, who  _ isn’t _ trying to psychoanalyse why Eddie would fall for his straight best friend.

“I mean there’s a few reasons,” he says. There’s actually a list of reasons, a pro’s and con’s list that he wrote out one night when his knuckles were bruised and he’d had one too many beers, Christopher at his abuela’s house. He’d torn it up the next morning but it’s all seared into his brain. “What if it fell apart, what would it do to Christopher, the team, but I mean, the main one is really just that he doesn’t feel the same.”

“Wait, sorry,” Josh leans forwards, eyebrows creeping up to his hairline. “He  _ doesn’t _ feel the same? I mean the other parts I get, but what do you mean he doesn't feel the same?”

“He’s straight.”

“Oh hun,” Josh huffs out a laugh. “Did he  _ tell _ you that? Because that would be a  _ lie.” _

“How would you know?” Eddie bristles. He doesn’t know Buck better than Eddie does- they can read each other in a way no one else can- he would have noticed if Buck felt the same. Buck’s a giant bundle of emotions, he doesn’t hide things like  _ love _ well. He’d heard about how he was with Abby, witnessed it with Ally. If he felt  _ anything _ like that for Eddie, he would have seen it.

“I’m an outside perspective,” Josh points out. “You’re used to how Buck is with you, but from what I’ve seen of the two of you, he  _ adores _ you. And Christopher.”

“Here,” he says, pushing to his feet. “You want an easy answer to your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem,” he mumbles but let’s Josh pull him to his feet. 

“Yeah, sure. Just don’t hit me, okay?” 

Eddie rolls his eyes but doesn’t get to say anything because Josh’s hands are on his face and then his lips are pressed against his own. Eddie stands there, frozen at the firm, dry press of their lips together. Then Josh pulls back with a nervous smile.

“Um.” Eddie takes a half step back. “I’m sorry man, but I’m not interested.”

Josh rolls his eyes, some of the confidence from earlier coming back now that Eddie hasn’t lashed out. He kind of hates whoever put that fear in Josh’s eyes. 

“Yeah, you’re not my type either.” His gaze goes past Eddie’s shoulder. “But it should get you a response.” He meets Eddie’s gaze again and winks, before scooping up his wine glass and heading for the house. Eddie watches him, confused. And then his gaze lands on Buck, standing in the doorway. 

Oh. 

_ Oh damn. _

Eddie’s rooted in spot as Buck makes his way over in a couple of quick strides, his ridiculously long legs eating up the distance between them. There’s a conflicting array of emotions displayed prominently across Buck’s expressive face, so many so that Eddie has trouble telling them apart. His stomach twists itself into knots, guilt gnawing at him, though he doesn’t know why.

“What was that?”

“What was what?” He’s feeling a little defensive under Buck’s searching gaze. Buck narrows his eyes with a frown. Eddie wants to reach out and smooth the expression away until it’s replaced with the sweet smile Eddie fell in love with so long ago. He thinks, out of everything about Buck, it was his smile he fell in love with first. 

“Are you and Josh a thing now?”

“Would it matter if we were?” He challenges, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“What’s Chris going to think?” Buck demands and Eddie bristles.

“That his dad is Bi? I’d hope I’d raised him to be a little more  _ open minded _ than that.” 

“That you’re making out with a  _ stranger _ while he’s in the house!”

Eddie stares at him.

“You’re closer to Josh than I am.”

“Exactly!” He crows like Eddie’s made his point for him. “You two barely know each other. What kind of a relationship could come from that? What if Christopher gets  _ attached _ and you two split? What then?”

His first instinct is to tell Buck he’s blown it all out of proportion, that he knows how to take care of his  _ own kid. _ But he shoves that part aside easily- this is  _ Buck. _ Buck, who’s been coparenting Christopher with him for the past three years, who somehow loves Chris as much as Eddie does, becoming part of their little family instead of out living it up like he should at thirty. Buck’s been there for every birthday, Christmas, game night, bake sale like it’s all he could ever want and Eddie’s been selfish enough to welcome it, because he can’t imagine his world without Buck in it. 

He actually  _ looks _ at Buck now, shoving aside his guilt and hurt feelings, and it’s easier to see this time- the hurt in his eyes, the fear at being replaced, the  _ jealousy. _

“I’m not dating Josh,” he says, a smile slipping across his face. “I’m already in a committed relationship.” 

He cups Buck’s jaw in his hands, thumbs stroking along the prominent line of his cheek bones in a way he’s wanted to for what feels like  _ ages. _ His blue eyes light up with something like  _ wonder _ and anticipation grows molten and sweet in Eddie’s chest. He gives Buck plenty of time to pull away, though the warmth of his gaze tells him he won’t, before gently reeling him in. He hasn’t kissed someone taller than himself since long before Christopher was born and it’s an odd feeling, craning his neck as Buck curls down to meet him. Their lips brush, gently, carefully, then again and his breath catches. He presses forwards, until their bodies are flush together, not an inch of space between them. Buck’s hands come to rest on his hips, grip tight, like he’s afraid Eddie will disappear if he were to let go. 

“Keep it PG, gentlemen.” 

They break apart, embarrassment flushing over them at Hen’s reminder that they have an audience. Denny looks unconcerned, ignoring them in favor of the s’more he’s demolishing, but Hen's smirking at them. Eddie’s cheeks feel like they’re on fire and he ducks his head. His lips are tingling, pulled into a happy smile. Buck tangles their fingers together and Eddie lets him, holding on just as tightly.

“We should probably talk.” There’s hope, warm and addictive, blooming in his chest. It only grows as Buck smiles down at him, so fond, so  _ sincere, _ he can’t imagine how he missed it for so long.

“Not sure we’ll get much privacy in this house.” Buck teases. It’s a miracle they only have Hen’s knowing gaze to deal with; not much happens in the 118 family without everyone else knowing about it. “But maybe after?”

“Yeah,” he breathes. “Come home with us.”

The smile Buck gives him is  _ blinding. _


End file.
